Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway occurred from 4-7 June 1942 after a Japanese fleet under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto launched an attack on the US military installations on the island of Midway in the Pacific Ocean. Japanese aircraft bombed the island, only to be forced back by some old fighter planes. Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, the commander of the Japanese fleet, hoped that the island would be lightly defended, as the Japanese had sent an invasion force to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to divert America's attention. However, the Japanese fleet was met in battle by Chester Nimitz's fleet off Midway after a few days of minor clasehs, and the real battle began when the Americans decided to attack the Japanese ships as the Japanese planes rearmed for a new attack. The Japanese ships were sitting ducks, and the Japanese lost the carriers Hiryu, Kaga, Akagi, and Soryu, while the cruiser Mikuma was sunk. The Japanese ships Mogami, Tanikaze, Arashi, and Kazagumo were damaged in the battle. The Americans lost the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) and the destroyer USS Hammann (DD-412) in the battle. Midway destroyed Japanese naval power in the Pacific, and it was the turning point of the Pacific War against the United States, with the Americans thwarting a Japanese invasion of Midway and a possible second attack on Pearl Harbor.